Cup holder sleeve

ABSTRACT

A cup holder sleeve comprises an elongated strip including a top edge having a top length, a bottom edge having a bottom length, a first distal edge and a second distal edge. The cup holder sleeve is assembled by attaching the first distal edge to the second distal edge and further includes a fold line extending from the top edge to the bottom edge, wherein the elongated strip is folded along the fold line for storage. In an exemplary embodiment, a cut-out notch is located on the bottom edge of the elongated strip and at the fold line, such that when a beverage container is placed within the assembled cup holder sleeve, an extrusion at the fold line and at the bottom edge of the elongated strip is substantially eliminated by the cut-out notch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to a provisional application entitled“Cup Holder Sleeve,” Ser. No. 60/822,539, filed Aug. 16, 2006, which isherein incorporated in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

Cup holder sleeves are used to protect a user's hands when the user isholding a cup that contains a hot beverage. Typically, the hot cup isplaced into the cup holder sleeve, which encircles the outer surface ofthe cup and provides a cooler surface on which the user can place herhand.

Typically, an unassembled cup holder sleeve is an elongated strip cutout from a flat sheet of paperboard and folded along at least one foldline so that the two distal ends can be attached to one another to formthe sleeve. When the sleeve is assembled and placed around the cup, thecup holder sleeve fits snugly around the side walls of the cup. For aconical shaped cup where the side walls typically slope inward, e.g.,because the bottom circumference of the cup is smaller than topcircumference, the cup holder sleeve tends to “billow-out” at the bottomedge of the sleeve at the fold lines. This “billowing-out” or extrusionis particularly pronounced when the cup is relatively small, e.g., a 12ounce cup, because the inward slope is more pronounced in smaller cups,and most cup holder sleeves are designed for medium or large sized cups.

While this extrusion does not adversely affect the protective functionof the sleeve when the user is holding the cup, it does become a problemwhen the user tries to place the cup in a cup holder, such as that in avehicle. Most modern cars include receptacles that are designed to holdbeverage containers, e.g., cans, bottles, cups, so that a driver cansafely operate the car with two hands without discarding the beverage.In order to reduce or eliminate spillage, the receptacles are designedto hold the beverage containers snugly. For a cup with a sleeve, it isvery difficult if not impossible to place the cup/sleeve assembly in areceptacle because of the extrusion at the bottom edge of the sleeve. Inmost cases, the sleeve must be removed from the cup so that the cup canproperly fit into the receptacle. Nevertheless, if the driver/drinkerremoves the sleeve so that the cup can be placed in the receptacle, thedriver cannot drink the beverage because the cup surface is too hot tohold. If the driver decides to hold the cup/sleeve assembly, instead ofplacing the cup in the receptacle, then the driver must drive with onehand, which can be a safety hazard.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a cup holder sleeve is described that comprises anelongated strip including a top edge having a top length, a bottom edgehaving a bottom length, a first distal edge and a second distal edge.The cup holder sleeve is assembled by attaching the first distal edge tothe second distal edge and further includes a fold line extending fromthe top edge to the bottom edge, wherein the elongated strip is foldedalong the fold line for storage. In an exemplary embodiment, a cut-outnotch is located on the bottom edge of the elongated strip and at thefold line, such that when a beverage container is placed within theassembled cup holder sleeve, an extrusion at the fold line and at thebottom edge of the elongated strip is substantially eliminated by thecut-out notch.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a sleeve for use with aconical shaped container comprises an elongated strip having a top edgewith a top length, a bottom edge with a bottom length, a first distaledge and a second distal edge, where the top length is greater than thebottom length. The sleeve also includes at least one fold line extendingfrom the top edge to the bottom edge, so that the elongated strip can befolded along the at least one fold lines for storage. Additionally, thesleeve includes a cut-out notch located on the bottom edge of theelongated strip and at one or more of the at least one fold lines.

In another embodiment, a cup holder sleeve for a conical shaped cupcomprises an elongated strip including a top edge having a top length, abottom edge having a bottom length, a first distal edge and a seconddistal edge and a plurality of dimples disposed on an outer surface ofthe elongated strip that contacts a user's hand. The dimples compriseconcave indentations and/or convex indentations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide visual representations which will beused to more fully describe the representative embodiments disclosedhere and can be used by those skilled in the art to better understandthe representative embodiments and their inherent advantages. In thesedrawings, like reference numerals identify corresponding elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an elongated strip according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cup holder sleeve of FIG. 1 around aconical shaped cup according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an elongated strip according to anotherexemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cup holder sleeve of FIG. 3 around aconical shaped cup according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is related to a cup holder sleeve, which whenassembled and placed around a conical shaped cup, is substantiallywithout extrusions at the bottom edge at a fold line. The followingdescription is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art tomake and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patentapplication and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferredembodiment and the generic principles and features described herein willbe readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, while thepreferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated beingutilized for a cup, those skilled in the art would readily recognizethat the present invention could also be used for any type of container,such as a canister. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features described herein.

According to one embodiment, a cup holder sleeve comprises an elongatedstrip that has a top edge, a bottom edge and two distal edges, whichwhen attached, form the sleeve. In an exemplary embodiment, a cut-outnotch is provided at the bottom edge of the elongated strip and at afold line that extends from the top edge to the bottom edge. When thesleeve is assembled and placed around a conical shaped container, e.g.,a cup, the extrusion at the fold line is substantially eliminated by thecut-out notch. In another embodiment, when the sleeve has more than onefold line, a cut-out notch is provided at the bottom edge and at each ofthe fold lines. By substantially eliminating the extrusions in the cupholder sleeve, the cup and the sleeve can be placed in a cup holder in acar.

FIG. 1 illustrates the elongated strip according to one embodiment. Thestrip 100 includes a top edge 102, a bottom edge 104, and two distaledges 106 a, 106 b. In one embodiment, the strip 100 is slightly curvedso that the top edge 102 is convex and the bottom edge 104 is concave. Alength of the top edge 102 can be greater than a length of the bottomedge 104. The cup holder sleeve is assembled by attaching the two distaledges 106 a, 106 b to one another using any suitable coupling technique.In one embodiment, a tacky material, such as glue, is applied to a firstdistal edge 106 a and the other distal edge 106 b is attached to thefirst distal edge 106 a via the glue. In another embodiment, the twodistal edges 106 a, 106 b are attached to one another with a fastener,such as a staple.

In an exemplary embodiment, the strip 100 includes at least one foldline 108 that runs from the top edge 102 to the bottom edge 104 alongthe width of the strip 100. When the strip 100 is folded along the foldlines 108, the sleeve can be easily stored and shipped to a retailer. Inanother embodiment, the fold lines 108 are disposed in specificlocations along the strip 100 so that when the strip 100 is folded alongthe fold lines 108, the two distal edges 106 a, 106 b overlap each otherand allow the sleeve to be easily assembled. The width, w, of the strip100 is sufficient that a drinker can easily grip the sleeve and protecthis hand from the temperature of the beverage. In one embodiment, thewidth, w, can be between 2 inches and 4 inches. In another embodiment,the width, w, can be 3 inches.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cup holder sleeve includes at least onenotch 110 located at the bottom edge 104 of the strip 100 and at one ormore of the fold lines 108. In one embodiment, the notch 110 can besemi-circular, as shown. In another embodiment, the notch 110 can be atriangle, or any other suitable shape, such as a rectangle or trapezoid.The notch 110 allows the bottom edge 104 of the strip 100 to remain incontact with a cup when the cup holder sleeve is used with a conicalshaped cup, as shown in FIG. 2.

In another embodiment, in addition to the notches 110 at the bottom edge104 of the strip 100, a second notch 112 can be provided at the top edge102 of the strip 100 and at one or more of the fold lines 108, as isshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. In this embodiment, any extrusions along thetop edge 102 can also be substantially eliminated.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the strip 100includes an embossed pattern 120 on at least a portion of the cup holdersleeve 100 surface that allows the user to have a better grip of thecup. The embossed pattern 120 can comprise concave or convex dimples ora plurality of openings. In one embodiment, the embossed pattern can becreated using a conventional press technique and result in a variety oftextured designs or patterns, such as a square pattern. The embossedpattern 120 enhances the user's comfort in gripping the sleeve, as wellas the appearance of the sleeve.

The strip 100 can be made from any suitable material, such aspaperboard, recyclable paper, or plastic. In one embodiment, the strip100 comprises at least two laminated layers, where an outermost layerthat contacts the user's fingers is suitable for printing indicia and aninnermost layer that contacts the cup surface is an insulating material.For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the outermost layer cancomprise a high density polyethylene material and the innermost layercan comprise a low density polyethylene material, as is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,814,253, entitled, “INSULATING SLEEVE FOR GRASPINGCONTAINER AND MANUFACTURING METHOD,” filed on Oct. 15, 2002, andassigned to the assignee of the present invention. In another example,the outermost layer can comprise a high density polyethylene materialand the innermost layer can comprise a low density polyethylenematerial, as is disclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No.10/349,468, entitled, “LAMINATED SLEEVE FOR A CONTAINER,” filed on Jan.21, 2003, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

As stated above, in one embodiment, the cup holder sleeve is assembledby folding it along the fold lines 108 and attaching the distal ends 106a, 106 b to one another to form a flat and smooth seam. When the userholds the assembled cup holder sleeve anywhere along the fold lines 108and squeezes the sleeve inwardly, the sleeve opens and the cup can beplaced into the sleeve.

By providing the notch 110 at the bottom edge 104 (and optionally at thetop edge 102), and at the fold line 108, extrusions are significantlyeliminated when the cup is placed into the sleeve. Accordingly, the cupwith the sleeve can fit into a cup receptacle in a car, and the drivercan enjoy his hot beverage while driving safely.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that theconcepts and techniques described here can be embodied in variousspecific forms without departing from the essential characteristicsthereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are considered in allrespects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of theinvention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoingdescription, and all changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalence thereof are intended to be embraced.

1. A cup holder sleeve comprising: an elongated strip including a topedge having a top length, a bottom edge having a bottom length, a firstdistal edge and a second distal edge, wherein the cup holder sleeve isassembled by attaching the first distal edge to the second distal edge;a fold line extending from the top edge to the bottom edge, wherein theelongated strip is folded along the fold line for storage; and a cut-outnotch located on the bottom edge of the elongated strip and at the foldline, wherein when a beverage container is placed within the assembledcup holder sleeve, an extrusion at the fold line and at the bottom edgeof the elongated strip is substantially eliminated by the cut-out notch.2. The sleeve of claim 1 wherein the top length is greater than thebottom length.
 3. The sleeve of claim 1 wherein the cut-out notch is oneof a semi-circular notch, a triangular notch, an oval notch, arectangular notch, and a trapezoidal notch.
 4. The sleeve of claim 1comprising a plurality of fold lines, wherein a cut-out notch is locatedon the bottom edge and at each of the plurality of fold lines.
 5. Thesleeve of claim 4 comprising a second set of cut-out notches located onthe top edge of the elongated strip and at each of the plurality of foldlines.
 6. The sleeve of claim 1 comprising a second cut-out notchlocated on the top edge of the elongated strip and at the fold line. 7.The sleeve of claim 1 wherein the elongated strip comprises one of apaperboard material, a laminate of a paperboard layer and a low densitypolyethylene layer, and a laminate of a high density polyethylene layerand a low density polyethylene layer.
 8. The sleeve of claim 1 whereinthe elongated strip comprises a plurality of dimples for enabling a userto grip the cup holder sleeve.
 9. The sleeve of claim 8 wherein theplurality of dimples comprise at least one of concave indentations andconvex indentations.
 10. A sleeve for use with a conical shapedcontainer comprising: an elongated strip including a top edge having atop length, a bottom edge having a bottom length, a first distal edgeand a second distal edge, wherein the top length is greater than thebottom length and the sleeve is assembled by attaching the first distaledge to the second distal edge; at least one fold line extending fromthe top edge to the bottom edge, wherein the elongated strip is foldedalong the at least one fold lines for storage; and a cut-out notchlocated on the bottom edge of the elongated strip and at one or more ofthe at least one fold lines, wherein when a beverage container is placedwithin the assembled cup holder sleeve, an extrusion at the one or morefold lines and at the bottom edge of the elongated strip issubstantially eliminated by the cut-out notch.
 11. A cup holder sleevefor a conical shaped cup comprising: an elongated strip including a topedge having a top length, a bottom edge having a bottom length, a firstdistal edge and a second distal edge, wherein the top length is greaterthan the bottom length and the sleeve is assembled by attaching thefirst distal edge to the second distal edge; a plurality of dimplesdisposed on an outer surface of the elongated strip that contacts auser's hand, wherein the plurality of dimples comprise at least one ofconcave indentations and convex indentations; a fold line extending fromthe top edge to the bottom edge, wherein the elongated strip is foldedalong the fold line for storage; and a cut-out notch located on thebottom edge of the elongated strip and at the fold line, wherein when abeverage container is placed within the assembled cup holder sleeve, anextrusion at the fold line and at the bottom edge of the elongated stripis substantially eliminated by the cut-out notch.